“A magnitude 7.2 earthquake strikes the metropolitan area. Casualties are estimated to be at least 100,000.”
“A tower rising from the National Assembly building, is it the aftermath of the earthquake?”
“A national state of disaster declared across the entire territory of South Korea.”
“An unidentified message, what is it?”
Overnight, the world had turned into a ridiculous farce.
Whether I went online, turned on the TV, or even scrolled through the comments on XTube, everyone was talking about the Disaster Order.
Cracks appearing worldwide, and an unidentified message floating before my eyes.
[Welcome to the world of Disaster Order.]
[Survive the calamities of Disaster Order and dominate them.]
[Become the ruler of calamities.]
[Y/N]
I pulled back the curtains.
At the edge of my vision was an impossibly tall black tower.
The unknown tower, piercing through the ceiling of the National Assembly building in Yeouido, was surrounded by news helicopters.
[The storm of the North Sea, Mirien, dreams of reversing the heavens. The tower rises.]
The message clearly stated that.
“Mirien. That’s a game character.”
The Storm of the North Sea, Mirien.
After thousands of syntheses, the second 5-star character I acquired.
I couldn’t remember the exact background story of Mirien, but she was a mage who slaughtered thousands to reach the end of the sky.
The other three 5-star characters also had reputations worthy of being called calamities.
Thus, the great calamities from the game had appeared in reality, causing immense damage.
Naturally, I suspected it was due to what happened yesterday morning.
[The calamities are unleashed. Their power is immense, capable of destroying another world. This decision is irreversible!]
“…Could it be that because I fired them, they crossed over into our world?”
It was an absurd hypothesis, but the reality before my eyes was telling me just that.
Disaster Order had become reality, and the trigger was me firing all of them yesterday.
The unleashed calamities had come to destroy another world, my world.
“…Is it my fault?”
No, it’s not.
I didn’t feel any guilt.
Even if the system message was real, how could I have known?
Ding!
[Become the ruler of calamities.]
[Y/N]
Moreover, this notification that had been floating before my eyes for over half a day seemed to be a message delivered to the entire world’s population.
=
– Hey, isn’t this an awakening?
– What’s an awakening, you nerd?
– You know, like in web novels. Becoming a hunter and leveling up. This is a status window, right?
– Has anyone tried pressing accept?
– Yeah, I did. Something like a game screen popped up.
– Oh shit, can I become an S-rank hunter? We’re all screwed lol
=
Even on internet communities, similar opinions were forming.
Some were a bit excited.
It’s understandable to be excited when such an unreal development unfolds before your eyes.
But the majority were gripped by anxiety.
An unknown terror had invaded Earth.
Countless deaths had occurred worldwide.
Any one of them could be you.
“…Disaster Order.”
I mulled over the game’s name.
Wait, a game?
Suddenly, something flashed in my mind.
I hurriedly opened the store and searched for Disaster Order.
But………
“Nothing.”
There was nothing.
Zero search results.
I tried looking for mentions on internet communities, but there were none.
If the game had become reality, did that mean the game itself had disappeared from the world?
If so, why do I remember that it was a game?
“I’m going crazy.”
This feeling like my head is spinning.
Moreover, the notification at the edge of my vision was swaying as if urging me to make a choice.
[Become the ruler of calamities.]
[Y/N]
If I press accept here, I will undoubtedly become a player.
The game’s general storyline is simple.
The player character, called the ruler, pulls calamities from the cracks to develop their base and gather new calamities.
The system notification to become the ruler of calamities must mean that.
“…I have to do it.”
Whatever it is, there’s only one choice.
To gain the power to control calamities.
Watching TV, people were already talking about awakening associations, new laws, guilds, and such.
But that’s not important.
They have no idea how terrifying the calamities of Disaster Order are.
As if responding, the notification displayed a new message.
[In the world of Disaster Order, calamities will attack you.]
[Become the ruler and survive the calamities, conquering them.]
[This is your story.]
[Will you become the ruler of calamities?]
[Y/N]
“Yes. I have to survive.”
Who wouldn’t?
I certainly don’t want to die.
I won’t become a victim of the calamities.
To do that, I must become the ruler.
Like my character in the game, a ruler commanding countless calamities.
With trembling hands, I pressed the accept button, and a new notification appeared.
[Please set your nickname.]
[…]
“…Hah.”
It’s exactly like the game.
At this point, it feels like a massive hidden camera prank.
I was about to type my three-letter name but shook my head.
If reality has become the Disaster Order game, then I should use the nickname I used in that game.
[Actor]
I typed the familiar two letters.
[Welcome, Ruler Actor. Congratulations on becoming the new ruler of Disaster Order.]
[Time until the next crack eruption: 161h]
Crack eruption.
This was something I knew from the game.
Every few days, cracks would spew out calamities.
Subduing these calamities and using them as synthesis materials to create higher-level calamities was the core of the game.
About a week left until the next eruption.
“Roughly a week.”
Whatever it is, I need to do what I can now.
If this is all like the game, I must first strengthen the player character to gain the ability to collect low-level calamities.
Time is of the essence.
As I hurriedly manipulated the system window, I suddenly felt a chilling sensation.
Simultaneously, notifications flooded in.
Ding ding ding!
[5★ The Storm of the North Sea, Mirien, is watching you.]
[5★ The Queen Who Swallowed the Stars, Asteria, is watching you.]
[5★ The Mother of Misfortune, Karne, is watching you.]
[5★ The Charred Saintess, Selene, is watching you.]
[And 154 others]
[Achievement unlocked: Beloved by Calamities]
[Reward: 1,000Exp]
“Huh…?”
For a moment, I couldn’t comprehend the content of the window.
But soon, I understood.
My current nickname is ‘Actor,’ the same as in the game.
Naturally, I recalled their last moments in the game, the faint expressions they had just before being fired yesterday.
If the calamities now in this world retain their memories from the game………
And if they recognized the nickname of their former master….
“…I think I’m screwed.”
No answer came.
*
Once, there was a girl revered as a saint.
She admired the tales of gods and devoted herself to faith.
The god bestowed power upon her.
She used it without reserve, to save all who suffered.
The girl loved the world.
The world loved her back.
But in the year she came of age, her faith was brutally shattered.
“Burn her! Burn the witch!”
The girl closest to the god was betrayed by the very humans she sought to protect.
Boiling oil poured over her, she was hung on the altar of an evil god, defiled, and in the end, she screamed apostasy and became a fire demon.
The girl had too much attachment to accept death quietly.
With much attachment came much resentment.
Her resentment soon swept across the entire continent.
“Ah, the apostle of the evil god! The Scorched Saintess!”
The words someone screamed before dying became her epithet.
The Scorched Saintess thus toppled a kingdom overnight.
In seven days and nights, she burned the continent.
Only ashes remained where she passed.
No life survived.
Her fire was fair.
Neither the god-fearing nor the god-defying could escape her flames.
That included her own body.
Charred black by the fire, her skin burned and blistered, her disfigured form finally ceased the divine punishment.
“…Ah.”
On the last day, as the god had abandoned all, the saintess too abandoned the world.
The demon who burned the world had no place left to stand.
Or so she thought.
Until a supernatural vortex appeared above her head.
[Entering the crack.]
Thus, the Scorched Saintess found a new abode.
It was a refuge, a sanctuary for the outcast.
Weary in body and mind, feeling no interest in anything, Saintess Selene finally met the ruler within the crack.
“Are you the master of this space?”
No emotions emanated from the ruler.
Yet, Selene understood that the ruler was an existence of a higher dimension, equal to the god she once served.
“Kill me if you wish. I am inherently an enemy. A vile human. My body, disfigured by burns, holds no allure for violation.”
Selene was resigned.
A charred woman would find no welcome anywhere.
An evil demon who used the power granted by a god to kill believers could expect no salvation.
But the ruler was different.
[The ruler of the crack, ‘Actor,’ gifts 5★ Scorched Saintess Selene with a 4☆ Elixir.]
[The ruler of the crack gifts 5★ Scorched Saintess Selene with a 5☆ Flaming Stake Sword.]
[The ruler of the crack, ‘Actor,’ gifts 5★ Scorched Saintess Selene……]
[…]
“This is…”
[The ruler of the crack, ‘Actor,’ assigns 5★ Scorched Saintess Selene to the expedition ‘Frost Prison of Agony’.]
[Notification: The attributes of ‘Frost Prison of Agony’ are compatible with 5★ Scorched Saintess Selene’s attributes.]
The ruler was emotionless, yet warmly provided Selene with a new abode.
Gave her a potion to heal her burns and grow new skin.
Gifted her a sword light and sturdy enough to be held by her burnt hands.
The ruler commanded her to burn other worlds for the territory.
And that was what Selene did best.
In her heart, a new pillar of faith arose.
Unlike the silent god, this was a sweet fruit of good and evil, where faith was rewarded.
“I pledge eternal loyalty to the ruler.”
The new home of the Scorched Saintess Selene.
This was a lost paradise.